Ole George Jones (Worth A Million)

Ole George Jones did it again.

I was making my way to HELL last Saturday morning with George performing on the mobile CD machine.

Around 7:15. 7:30.

It was strange - there were very few cars on the road. This is atypical.

People don't have weekends anymore. Everybody works shitty retail jobs or two jobs or three jobs.

People don't look forward to a weekend off. Now they say "I have Wednesday off. Can't wait."

It sucks.

So usually there are a fair amount of steel beasts on the road even on Saturday morning. But I was OK with the peaceful drive. It peaceifies me to look ahead to an empty road; to glance into the rear view and see no one

I like to be alone.

Especially if I am alone with George Jones.

First up - "You Couldn't Get The Picture". He comes home from work and the wife is gone. She left a bunch of post-it notes on the walls and around the house. The message being if you couldn't get the picture maybe you can read the writing on the wall.

Sounds hokey but it's not. You want hokey? Listen to one of your pansy ass country boys who supposedly sing country now. That shit is weak, it is derivative, it is diluted, it is formulaic and it just plain sucks.

But I digress.

The messages: "I love you but I can't live on love alone. I cried all night but you weren't there to watch the teardrops fall. The lonely nights were hell (that was on the pillow). Take a good look at yourself ( that one was on the mirror - that one is my favorite and pretty heavy duty). I waited long enough for you to call."

The song is a heart breaker. A guy who did not treat his wife right and did not even think about it until he came home to an empty house and a bunch of post-it notes.

A couple of songs later - "Finally Friday". "I got a hundred dollars smokin' in my billfold, I know I oughta save it but it's burnin' a hole, right through my pocket and into my skin, come Monday mornin' I'll be broke again.

It's finally Friday, I'm free again, I got my motor running for a wild weekend, it's finally Friday I'm outa' control, forget the workin' blues and let the good times roll.

Monday I'll be hurtin' with my head in a vice, Tuesday I'll be wonderin' if I'll ever survive, Wednesday and Thursday I'll be slowly tunin' in, Friday I'll be revvin' up my motor again."

The music matches the lyrics and the whole damn thing captures that Friday feel beautifully.

An image came into my head, unbidded, of me and Sarge singing that song together in a broke down bar somewhere funky. I guarantee you we would have sung that bastard with conviction.

Next up: "I Don't Need Your Rockin' Chair." I already went off on that one in a previous post. It is a great song, but what got to me this time was that the first time around I didn't really tune in to "Finally Friday."

The songs are back to back and they complement each other perfectly. They set a "kiss my ass" mood and bring it home with a vengeance.

I didn't really notice "Finally Friday" first time around. Sometimes you are tuned in; sometimes you are tuned out.

I still have a Friday night mentality even though Friday nights now are usually my ass in the recliner, fighting to stay awake long enough to tune in Bill Maher. I still want to be in a smoke filled bar chasing shots with beers and rockin' on out to soul crying blues.

And trust me, I am not done with that yet.

I was making my way to HELL, early on a quiet Saturday morning, feeling kind of down when Ole George Jones lifted me right up.

Got me juiced, got me singing, got me forgetful about my closed-in life.

It was a moment. A sweet moment of peace, abandon and soul expression.

Worth a million bucks, baby.